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The Mentalist Review: The Alien Lizard Vibe

That nurse wasn't kidding. Agent Kirkland definitely has an alien lizard vibe to him. It's as if we spent "Behind the Red Curtain" waiting for him to rip off his mask and show what he was hiding underneath.

Though Jane has obviously had his suspicions of Kirkland, does he now know he's an agent of Red John? And, if so, can he convince Lisbon?

Kirkland injecting the IV almost made me feel sorry for Jason. The poor guy just woke up from a coma to remember being shot by Lorelei and then had his life snuffed out a moment later. He was still so weak and helpless from his injuries there was nothing he could have done to stop it.

Lisbon was the one who confused me in all of this. She seemed more than happy to hand their one link to Red John over to Kirkland. Was she that worried about her career? Was she actually not suspicious of the creepy federal agent? I was at a loss to the reasoning behind her apparent naivete.

But the best part of the entire episode was Jane enlisting LaRoche to help uncover the scheme of the nonexistent investor. It was awesome watching these two complex, quirky characters work together as Jane cajoled him in this The Mentalist quote…

Jane: You spend your days chasing paperclip thieves. When do you ever get the chance to nail a killer? |permalink

If LaRoche isn't Red John (and I hope he's not), I'd love to see him help Patrick take him down and I beg the writers to give us more of these two in the future.

Jane seemed right at home at the theater. I'd guess that actors are a bit similar to carnie folk. They're all putting on some sort of a show.

Jane sitting in the back of the theater listening to Deandra sing was just so him. Lisbon walked right by him and never saw him there.

Deandra's story was downright heartbreaking. That her colleagues gossiped about her drinking while she was really suffering with multiple sclerosis was depressing. That she was reunited with her biological daughter only to have her permanently torn away over a silly financial scheme was tragic.

Lastly, the beautiful Grace Van Pelt was back at the CBI and it's been far too long. Now the question becomes: will Rigsby find the guts to make a play for her?

Were you surprised Kirkland took out Jason? Is Lisbon being naive and do you think Jane now knows that Kirkland works for Red John?

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KM•April 01, 2013 23:01

@Watcher,I think he uses the deniability, because he'd like to not always put her in the middle. It is his way of caring. And going backwards here, but I thought Lisbon was successful in letting Jane think that he was speaking to Lorelei in private. She kept her responses open. He needs to be alone. She says that he will be. He says he needs to be able to honestly tell Lorelei that they are alone. She says alright. As in alright you can tell her that. She never told him that she would not do her job. Instead she told him to be careful and not get sucked in. He does it to her. That was very Jane of her. http://youtu.be/2b7PCQJhkkc

Entwife•April 01, 2013 23:00

@Watcher I think at this point it would be a betrayal on either part. I do think Lisbon may have held things back, we don't know. Like, did she tell Jane about Ray Hafner being in Visualize? I bet there are other things she hasn't told him either that might feed into the RJ investigation.

Watcher•April 01, 2013 22:49

Deniability might be somewhat justifiable as an excuse for lying to her in season one. (I would argue it was not, but many would disagree.) But now the situation has evolved. She has already lied to cover felonies he has committed. She is now an accessory to murder as a result. Deniability seems a flimsy argument from Jane at this late stage of the game. He doesn't trust her to keep her emotions under control so he uses that to justify lying to her. Lisbon doesn't trust him to keep his emotions under control when it comes to RJ (see Lorelei debacle.) Would you view her as being justified in withholding leads in the RJ investigation from him for that reason? If not, is it OK for him to withhold for that reason but not her? Is it betrayal in both cases or neither?

Watcher•April 01, 2013 22:47

@Entwife - I like it...now that I understand it :-)

Entwife•April 01, 2013 22:44

Talking about all this makes me feel really disappointed in Patrick, that he can't be a man to our Teresa. It hurts me.

Entwife•April 01, 2013 22:41

closest we could get to a bit of pinkies and knuckles, shaking. Dorky, but we like it. :)

@km i actually like something like that. they've been spinning that thread starting last season with him talking about deniability and in this one, talking about "i'm not at the hospital." saying "would you like the truth? i believe you're not going to like it and that it might hurt you and could compromise you and tear you up inside. but i want to give you what you want here with the understanding that your reaction is not going to change what i do. i owe you that." don't think it would happen. don't think he trusts her to keep her emotions under control. she's still very much torn between the rule of law and the demands his awful quest puts on her. patrick is very well-thought out in this area. he's willing to chase red john to the ends of the earth and die in the process. it's not so clear cut for lisbon. she may not be able to handle the truth.

Watcher•April 01, 2013 22:38

@Entwife - Is the % a symbol for pinky shake? I was unfamiliar with that

Watcher•April 01, 2013 22:36

@huisclothes - We're all different, and everybody should do what works for them. I treat other people as they treat me. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but I will not consistently let them lie to me and do nothing to protect myself. I just think it was unfair of him to ask her not to listen. He was asking her to not do her duty, and he knows how important her job is to her. I truly don't find anything wrong with what she did. But I understand that reasonably people can view this differently. We all have our own life experiences that color our views.